Non-perishable, but lightweight foods for backpacking
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T1DCarnivoreRunner
Posts: 11,502 Member
So I'm doing a back-packing trip next month, and plan to car camp for a couple days prior to heading out into the wilderness. The plan is actually to car camp, do a half marathon, then head out backpacking... to be clear, schedule is as follows:
Fri. - Car camp - assume this is far enough from restaurants that I must bring my own non-refrigerated foods
Sat. - Half marathon, still car camping
Sun. - head out backpacking
Fri. - return to vehicle by end of day... assume the nearest restaurant won't be available until Sat. morning at earliest
*So as you can see, I'm planning on having to bring 8 days of food with me somewhere or another. What I eat Fri. - Sat. (and early Sun. morning) doesn't matter on weight, but I want to avoid carrying as much food as possible because of weight.
To avoid excess weight, and because most keto carb-level foods do not require re-hydration, I only plan to bring a very small and lightweight folding stove and fuel tablets (Esbit, for those familiar) for coffee. This takes a few lbs. off compared with a larger stove and fuel bottle. Still, I'm planning to carry 7 days food (6 + 1 day backup) and expect that to weigh somewhere around 15 lbs. (ouch!).
My food list currently has:
-Summer sausage
-Pepperoni sausage sticks (heavily processed and will survive without refrigeration)
-Cheese (need to eat this first, probably while car camping)
-Macadamia nuts (seem to be the most calorie dense of all nuts)
-Walnuts
-Peanuts
_Almonds
-Peanut Butter (because of having to carry empty jars after eating, will probably eat early while car camping as well)
-coffee (not for calories, but because I need it)
-Possibly adding some tuna pouches
**Thinking about protein powder or possibly powdered eggs. At least with protein powder, I don't necessarily need to worry about using hot water. Otherwise, I'll cook a tea pot every day for coffee and could make a little bit of extra boiling water.
The weight is scaring me, though I'm aware the food weight will decrease over time. I plan to add salt/potassium mixture to nuts so I replenish electrolytes. I plan to repackage the nuts, so the only remaining weight after consumption will be from the plastic bags used for packaging.
Any other suggestions for how to carry very low carb foods with lower weight?
Fri. - Car camp - assume this is far enough from restaurants that I must bring my own non-refrigerated foods
Sat. - Half marathon, still car camping
Sun. - head out backpacking
Fri. - return to vehicle by end of day... assume the nearest restaurant won't be available until Sat. morning at earliest
*So as you can see, I'm planning on having to bring 8 days of food with me somewhere or another. What I eat Fri. - Sat. (and early Sun. morning) doesn't matter on weight, but I want to avoid carrying as much food as possible because of weight.
To avoid excess weight, and because most keto carb-level foods do not require re-hydration, I only plan to bring a very small and lightweight folding stove and fuel tablets (Esbit, for those familiar) for coffee. This takes a few lbs. off compared with a larger stove and fuel bottle. Still, I'm planning to carry 7 days food (6 + 1 day backup) and expect that to weigh somewhere around 15 lbs. (ouch!).
My food list currently has:
-Summer sausage
-Pepperoni sausage sticks (heavily processed and will survive without refrigeration)
-Cheese (need to eat this first, probably while car camping)
-Macadamia nuts (seem to be the most calorie dense of all nuts)
-Walnuts
-Peanuts
_Almonds
-Peanut Butter (because of having to carry empty jars after eating, will probably eat early while car camping as well)
-coffee (not for calories, but because I need it)
-Possibly adding some tuna pouches
**Thinking about protein powder or possibly powdered eggs. At least with protein powder, I don't necessarily need to worry about using hot water. Otherwise, I'll cook a tea pot every day for coffee and could make a little bit of extra boiling water.
The weight is scaring me, though I'm aware the food weight will decrease over time. I plan to add salt/potassium mixture to nuts so I replenish electrolytes. I plan to repackage the nuts, so the only remaining weight after consumption will be from the plastic bags used for packaging.
Any other suggestions for how to carry very low carb foods with lower weight?
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Replies
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Chicken comes in pouches too & doesn't need refrig.
Regular eggs in a cooler will keep for car camping.
Left-overs from home should last in a cooler Fri & Sat.
You might check out your local sports store to see what
they offer in dehydrated meals.
or 
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Dehydrated meals at camping stores are not only expensive and have heavy packaging - they also always contain carbs. Even if I can just pour in boiling water, the dehydrated eggs would be a better option in the back-country than the MRE's at camping stores.
As for a cooler, I plan to bring a very small cooler (about 6 in. X 4 in. X 5 in.) with an ice back from home... just to keep cheese and meat a little bit cooler on the trip out and while car camping. I anticipate stopping in hotels on drive out (2 days), so can probably some ice to a sandwich sized zip-lock each day. This stuff will probably survive a day or 2 without refrigeration, so if I keep cool on the trip out and just eat the cheese first (while car camping), it will probably work out fine.0 -
Seems like you've got a solid list to me. Powdered eggs tho... maybe protein powder you can mix with water later on the trail? Low carb shake of sorts?0
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Nut butters can be transferred into poly squeeze tubes that are very light and reuseable. Hubby and I have used these for many different things for flights/camping and they are GREAT!
https://rei.com/product/696007/coghlans-squeeze-tubes-package-of-2
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Also if you opt for baked cheese snacks instead of fresh cheese like cheese sticks, you wouldn't have to eat all the cheese early.
Cello Whisps (Sam's Club, Costco)
Oven Bakes Cheese Bites (from Trader Joe's)
Kitchen Table Bakers (Sam's Club)
Just the Cheese
Moon Cheese1 -
Coconut oil and/or nut butter in individual packets... I was wondering if you could concentrate pickle juice to a point of using it as an electrolyte gel...LOL A squeeze bottle of something like powerade zero's Mio version thing...
I don't know, overall. Fat is calorie dense, so most fatty foods are "heavy." Underripe avocados? Tuna pouches some have mayo and such prepacked. What about something like salt cod or dried fish?0 -
Wanted to share this http://www.lostways.org/fb/index.php?r=3877&r=6001&tid=main_med_fbk_thelostways&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=FL1-LostWays-Direct-WebConv-GP&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=lookalike_2per_fb_audience_buyers&utm_content=batch1-V5 which came up on my Facebook but looks both easily adaptable to low carb as well as very stable. "Pemmican is a portable, long-lasting, high-energy food which never goes bad..."1
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Just a thought to cut down on the food weight in the pack. Feast before you head out for the back packing part of the trip. Then fast for at least 72 hrs. and eat all the stuff you have with you over the next few days.
Only thing on your list I would omit is the peanuts. They are legumes and can cause stomach issues when eaten with the other foods you have listed.1 -
Sounds fun!
Looks like a good list of food. I think I'd be pretty happy with that. I'd add some beef jerky too.1 -
pemmican. Can't get much more energy dense than that and still be edible. I think the 1st south pole explorers used that. It has some carbs but so what. I think backpacking, a few carbs will not hurt. I don't know where you can buy it but you can make it.2
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JessicaLCHF wrote: ».... "Pemmican is a portable, long-lasting, high-energy food which never goes bad..."
I watched a programme on the Discovery channel the other evening, about people in the northern Canadian 'wilderness' and the sparse and widely-spread small, modest and basic log cabins they lived in.... Only they had a legal right to use them, and hunt, fish and live off the land. I didn't catch the beginning of the programme, but it was fascinating - and certainly made me glad we have hot running water, and a car to go to the store in! Boy oh boy.... I think personally speaking, I might last a day or two, but I had to hand it to these guys - they were rough, ready and completely 'at home'!0 -
Pickled eggs0
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Yeah I don't think I'd recommend a 72 hour fast with any kind of strenuous hiking.2
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JessicaLCHF wrote: »Yeah I don't think I'd recommend a 72 hour fast with any kind of strenuous hiking.
No... also, within that 72 hrs. prior is the half marathon. I'm actually planning on doing the opposite - I'll be in a calorie surplus in the days before heading out and then in a deficit while back-packing.2 -
Going on a 1-2 day hike next weekend, do no where near the same issue, but been thinking about this too.
Seems frozen food in vacuum should last a while. Or you could dehydrate beef I guess.
Have also been thinking of just fasting the entire weekend, but seems risky.0 -
As a snack with no weight I bring porkrinds.
Takes a lot of space, but 50/50 protein and fat is great.1 -
No need to rush through your cheese. I've made blocks of cheese last many, many days while in the backcountry (without refrigeration), and the harder the cheese, the longer you can go without refrigeration. Just seal it up really well to keep air from getting it between meals.1
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So you're back @midwesterner85? Yes? How was the trip? The half marathon? Did you end up doing well in the food category? No food poisoning and ample supplies? How far did you hike? Inquiring mind/s want to know. Please share!2
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So you're back @midwesterner85? Yes? How was the trip? The half marathon? Did you end up doing well in the food category? No food poisoning and ample supplies? How far did you hike? Inquiring mind/s want to know. Please share!
No, not back. The half marathon is Sat. and I start backpacking Sun.1
